Beautiful Country

This week was quite an adventure.  Grandma stayed in UB working on our English booklets that we are trying to get done in the next two weeks and I went to XAHX (pronounced: Haunk).  XAHX is a town of 3000 people up above the largest lake in Mongolia by the Russian border.  To get there it is an 11 hour drive, thru Darkhan, Erdenet & Murun to the Lake and then another 8 hour drive along the mountain around the lake to the town.  It had been raining for two days prior to our arrival and it rained again the night we arrived at the Geir Camp at the bottom edge of the lake, so the road was impassible.  We then started hunting a boat that could take us there, 140 kilometers (90 miles).  We found a man that used to be a province councilman that was from XAHX and he offered to take us, if we would pay for the gasoline.  It costs $350 for the gas and so four of us were going to head across the lake:  me, my translator, the councilman, and his boat driver; then the immigration Colonel from Murun decided he wanted to come, so two hours later (noon) 5 of us set off across the lake.  The lake is crystal clear with no fish.  The ice is 3-4 feet thick in the winter, which is too thick, and on the lake too long, for fish to live.  After a gasoline-smelling, bucking-water-slapping 3 hour boat ride we arrived in XAHX.  The city Governor and a few others met us and took us to lunch. We then took a tour of the three water stations they are requesting help with. Then back to the boat, another bucking-bronco boat ride across the lake, ending with an hour long rain and wind storm just before dark to finishing the journey.   It is beautiful country, very remote. The mountain separating Mongolia and Siberia was covered with snow. It is always covered with snow.  We saw some reindeer, yaks, and the normal herds of sheep, goats, horses, and cows. Along the countryside numerous little stands are selling horse milk to tourists and passersby.  We obviously learned a lot. We have decide to build the requested water stations so we will be going back a few times next spring. 

An interesting side note:  It is so remote and difficult to get to that in the months of January-March they drive (and of course slip and slide) in cars, trucks, and semi-trucks across the lake.  They can make it in two hours.  The big trucks take their cab doors off so that if the truck breaks thru the ice they can get out.  Every once in a while a truck goes thru the ice.  There might be another boat ride or around the lake jeep ride for us but no rides in a wheeled vehicle across the ice for us, even if it is 4 feet thick!

Other than the above adventure it was a normal week working as humanitarian missionaries in Mongolia.

BYU-H

Hello Family,

We haven't had any adventures this week--at least not too big of ones:)  I went to a couple of lessons with 2 sets of Sisters--both were about 45 minutes out of the city on a hot bus!  But, the lessons were very good and the investigators both accepted a baptism date.  The Sisters were elated, to say the least.  

We gave the Michigan Test (an English Test-vocabulary, reading comprehension, & grammar) last week--once on Wednesday evening and then again on Saturday morning.  The students are really nervous, as well they should be because it's a hard test--even for dad and I.  Yes, we took a practice test and did pretty good, but it was no cake walk:)  We'll send the tests to BYU-H on Monday and they'll correct them and email us the scores.  The students need to get 75 in order to pass, so they can go to BYU-H on the I-work Program.  

We have at least 2 District Mtgs at our apartment each week--it's nice to talk about the Gospel in English:)  It reminds us of why we're all here--to help others come unto Christ.

 

 

Count your many bessings

We flew to Choibalsan this week to check on our 4 water stations that are being built there and to finish arranging the details for the two dentists we are bringing to Mongolia.  We are attaching some pictures.  The four water stations will supply water for about 2400 people.  

We have another class starting Monday for Mongolian English Teachers.  They love our classes.  Four of the missionaries teach them--divided into two separate classes. 

We are doing good other than it is really warm here, probably just like it is in where you all live. 

We spoke in church in Choibalsan.  A five minute talk is a ten minute talk because we have to have a translator.  A translator is like a painter.  A good painter makes a carpenter into a good carpenter, and a good translator makes a speaker into a good speaker:)

This is Laurie--In Relief Society, the teacher turned the last 10 minutes over to Sister Harper--the new mission President's wife--and me.  They wanted us to teach them something.  Well, she's learning Mongolian, but still can't communicate real well, so we told them about our families:)  They thought it was cool that we each have so many children and Gkids:)  We think it's wonderful, too!

Pres Harper was interviewing and calling a new branch president. After announcing that in Sacrament meeting, nothing else had been planned, so...the 4 of us spoke.  We had been given some advance notice, which was good:)

It's Sunday night and we're back in UB.  We keep on keeping on:)

 

 

Yay for Senior Missionaries

We receive a news letter in Mongolia about the Humanitarian work that is going on in Asia.  Nepal, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Lao, India, and Timor Leste are some of the countries where we have Humanitarian Missionaries that often have a short news item of something they have done in their country.  It is amazing to us to see all the good the Church is doing:  Wheel Chair Projects, Disaster Relief Efforts, Vision Clinics and Training, Clean Water Projects, Gardening and Food Production, English Teaching, Drug Rehabilitation Projects.  We have seen projects in hospitals, schools, prisons, public safety, and employment centers. Besides all this humanitarian work that is going on there is a similar effort to help church members gain education, skills, and employment.  It is simply staggering what is going on.  

The money comes from faithful member donations. Without missionary couples most of the money would be eaten up in salaries and wages, but because of the senior missionaries volunteering their service at their own expense the donated funds can be stretched to reach more people.  Most of these projects are to help the poor and needy without concern about their beliefs or religious associations.  We are humbled to see the tremendous amount of good that is being done to help and bless others.  There are many other charitable organizations that do a lot of good but none come even close to what the church is doing because of the huge volunteer force of senior missionaries.  

Joseph Smith taught that,“A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”  We are honored to be part of this work even though our efforts are small in comparison to the need throughout the world.

Emperor of Japan

So this week was "Naadam" in Mongolia.  It is a holiday that started 2225 years ago and has been going ever since.  It lasted 9 days.  Almost everything shut down. Naadam means games and is a celebration of their country's existence.  It has four major games:  Horse racing, Archery, Wrestling, and Ankle Bone shooting (actual bones from animals which they flick with their finger into a stack of bones). The horse racing is only for children ages 5-10. They all race together in one big group, 300-500 riders, and they go cross country for 30 kilometers (19 miles), amazing!  

We went to the opening ceremony and it was amazing.  It was much like an Olympic Stadium Opening Ceremony, but this one seemed like a bunch of Nephites and Lamanites running and fighting on the field.  All around the stadium were small shops that sold food and drinks, umbrellas, hats--Gma bought one:)-shoes, sunglasses etc. We are attaching some pictures.  

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was also held Thursday through Saturday.  The Emperor of Japan, China, and South Korea along with 3,000 other government officials from various Asia-European countries attended.  We have never seen so many policeman in our whole lives.  The streets were lined with policeman.  A policeman every 50 yards on both sides of the street, even on many side streets. Even though all this was going on we still were able to get some Humanitarian and English work done.

Two Humps

This last week we went to Murun, stopping along the way to see the progress of a well station being built in Zuunkhaara, took some media boxes to missionaries who teach English in Darkhan and looked at our proposed project for 3 or 4 cross walks to help with safety of children crossing the street to school.  We also stopped to see some gardens that are doing very well:) Then on to Murun where we checked out a request by a hospital. 

On the way we saw lots of gers and herds--sheep, goats, cows, horses, yaks-- because now that it's summer, the people have moved out of the city and are taking advantage of the beautiful green countryside.  We saw a brand new baby yak, fluffy and furry like a panda bear:)  As we drove near Erdenet we suddenly saw a herd of camels--about 50!  They are losing their winter fur and their 2 humps are kind of floppy.  Camels are mostly in the Gobie Desert, which is down south, so it was fun to see some.  We even saw some baby camels.  Camels in Mongolia have two humps.  It is the only place in the world where there are two humped camels.

In all these things we are doing, the Lord is constantly helping us.  We feel it and we see it - the impossible happens.  Sometimes we think there is no way this can happen and little by little things fall into place and the impossible happens.  Our testimonies grow stronger as the days and weeks move along.  We know the Lord and we know this is His true church restored again upon the earth.  Little by little the prophesies are being fulfilled and the church is fulfilling its destiny.

Early in the Morning

A couple of interesting things have happened recently.  I usually get up around 5 am.  I really try to stay up until 10 pm because if I don't I often wake up sometime in the night.  So, if I go to bed around 10 pm then I usually wake up between 4-5 am and get up shortly thereafter.  We run into challenges every day in our work and often the problem or challenge is on our mind when we go to bed. Well, early in the morning I sometimes have a solution to our current problem or challenge and often the solution is nothing we have talked about or even thought about.  This has happened enough times to definitely see a pattern.  When serving the Lord, praying, seeking answers and help from heaven, the answers will often come early in the morning.  I have learned to follow those thoughts or impressions and, low and behold, it is a very short while and we definitely know it was inspiration from heaven. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  

Recently we found a solution to many of our English teaching challenges by receiving the idea to establish "English Labs" at several universities.  Well,  it is going like a wild fire.  We should have 20 missionaries in labs this fall and it will solve several problems and challenges. We count it an honor to be a part of the work of the Lord and to be guided by him as we do so.